WORTH: 4% of semester grade
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SURE TO FOLLOW THE FILE-NAMING CONVENTIONS FOR THIS COURSE
(5% penalty if you do not).
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followed by the first two letters of your first name, followed
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hussein_sa_20.doc
THIS
IS ASSIGNMENT 20
1) The author argues (p. 230) that "myths play a critical role in explaining wonders that cannot be fully explained through rational, empirical means, that is, through facts and evidence." Thinking carefully about that idea, what about the concept of organized crime, accordingly, would lend itself to the creation of myths?
2) Much that was "known" about the mafia in the 1950s, 1960, and 1970s actually came from a single "source"--what was that source?
3) Why, according to Daniel Bell, would the idea of a powerful Mafia be so popular with Americans in the 1950s?
4) How, according to William Moore, did both the news media and popular culture distort a partial truth emerging from the Kefauver Hearings contribute to the Mafia myth?
5) An important theme in much mafia lore and popular culture representations of the mafia (including The GodFather a film we will be watching shortly) is that of the "Castellemare War." The Vallachi testimony, as the readings for this week specify, are often cited as "proving" the existence of this war.
The readings, however, have a very different take. Explain (A) the gap between what Valachi testified to and the stories of mass killings (B) the empirical test of the war's existence and the results and (C) what appealed so much to the tellers' of the tale that they truly believed it.
6) According to the author, The GodFather's popularity can be explained partially because it seemingly confirmed the argument of a long-standing and self-serving campaign by law enforcement. Explain.
7) How much trust and why should we place in Valachi's testimony, according to the author?